The Sendai 89ers orchestrated a dramatic turnaround under first-year bench boss Dai Oketani this past season.
The 89ers won 40 of 60 regular-season games, a 19-win improvement over the previous campaign. And with the foundation of Oketani¡¯s system in place, the 89ers are looking to build off the success they achieved last season.
One big key to the second-division team¡¯s success last season was veteran forward Jerome Tillman, who averaged 22.5 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.4 steals in 40 games (40 starts).
The 32-year-old Ohio University alum agreed to the terms of a contract for the upcoming season late last week.
¡°I¡¯m happy to be back with the 89ers for the upcoming season,¡± said Tillman, who previously played for the Nagoya Diamond Dolphins (2016-18) and Levanga Hokkaido (2013-16). ¡°I am looking forward to having a great season and the challenge of competing to win a championship.¡±
In related news, former 89ers shooting guard Masaharu Kataoka recently finalized a deal to return to Sendai for next season. He suited up for the Kyoto Hannaryz for the past season two seasons.
Happinets sign Furukawa
The Akita Northern Happinets, a B1 club, on Tuesday announced that sharpshooter Takatoshi Furukawa has accepted a contract for the 2019-20 season.
The 32-year-old Furukawa, who was named the B. League Final MVP in 2017 while with the Tochigi Brex, spent the past two seasons with the Ryukyu Golden Kings.
The 190-cm small forward had a season-best game in the playoffs against Nagoya, scoring 26 points on 10-for-13 shooting (5 of 6 on 3-pointers) on April 26.
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